Combination tail-light, sign-plate, and holder therefor for vehicles.



E. E. POOLE.

GOMBINATION TAIL LIGHT, SIGN PLATE, AND HOLDER THEREFOR FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1912.

1,087,548. Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

' 5 QM! M M r 3 W 6 y I I ziil/figfi UNITED STATES PATENT omuoni.

ELMER. E. PooLnor BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMBINATION TAIL-LIGHT, SIGN-PLATE, AND HOLDER THEREFOR FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 2, 1912. Serial No. 687,996.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER E. PooLE. citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and use ful Improvement in Combination Tail- Lights, Sign-Plates, and Holders The-refor for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In most, if not at all of the States there are laws requiring motor vehicles to carry a sign plate bearing the license number single fixture so that the number can beeasily read by night, as well as by day. The sign plates furnished by at least some of the States are made of metal so that the license number on the sign plate is not readily distinguishable at night even when there is a bulls' eye or tail light carried adjacent to the sign plate.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the 'novel features will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of the specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the box shown in Fig.'1, the front turned up 0n its hinge. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings:'In describing the device that side of the box which is exposed when looking toward the device when it is attached to the vehicle.

will be referred to as the front of the box.- The box may be of any suitable material, preferably metal. The body 1 of the box is preferably of oblong shape about the right size to receive the oblong sign plate. The front side 2 is hinged to the body of the box, preferably so as to open upward. The sign plate 4 is placed in the back part of the box being held in place by suitable means, as by a lip 11 rising from the bottom of the box and by suitable clips, such for instance as the clips 3, shown in the drawings, which may be bent over the edge of the plate 4. This sign plate 4 may be the regular sign plate issued by the authorities that grant the license, this usually being furnished by the State and is usually of metal. Usually the sign plate thusissued is of a'particular color and the figures thereon are of a contrasting color.

The front of the box is composed of a frame 2. and a translucent glass sign plate 5 'detachably connected therewith. The coloring, figures and lettering on this'glass plate should be acopy of that on the metal sign or license number plate 4 within the box,

so that when said hinged front is closed the exposed glass plate will show exactlyv the same marking and coloring as the regular] sign plate within the box would show ifit were exposed. Suitable holding means are provided whereby the said glass or translucent plate 5may be readily detached and replaced by another plate when desired. The means shown inthe drawings are clips Patented neniiz, rare.

particular 7 6 of flexible metal which can be easily bent toremove the sign'and admit a new one and then bent back again to hold the new plate in place.

The body of the box has a downwardlyextending portion 7 preferably extending downwardly from the middle of the lower side of the box to receive a lamp 8 suit-ably mounted therein, and the front frame 2 has a corresponding downwardly extending portion 9 which shuts over the downwardly extending body portion 7. A bulls eye 10 of suitable colored glass or other translucent material is set into this said downwardly extending portion 9 of the front frame, and

will be illuminated by the lamp 8 when the lamp is lighted at night. As the metal sign plate 4 is held in the back part of thebox, the interior of the box will be illuminated and the number can be easily read at adietance. If for any reason the translucent glass plate is broken and entirely removed,

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the legible matter is a copy of'that on said translucent plate mounted in the interior of the box at some distance behind said translucent plate, leaving a chamber free from obstruction between said two plates, and so arranged that when said front plate is re-. moved the said rear plate is fully exposed to front view without change of position, and an illuminating device in the interior ofthe box out of alinement with said sign plates and which is adapted to illuminate said translucent sign, plate.

2. A combination tail light, sign plate and hold er comprising a case having a translucent sign plate which forms apart of the front of said case, a sign plate on which the legible matter is a copy of that'on said translucent plate mounted in the interior of the box at some distance behind said trans. lucent plate,-leaving a chamber free from' obstruction between said two plates, and so arranged that when said front plate is removed the said rear plate is fully exposed to front view without change of position, a chambered extension to the body of the box, an illuminating device mounted in said extension, an extension to the front wall of the box having a translucent bulls eyeinserted therein in front of the said extension of the box whereby saidilluminating means illuminates both the bulls eye and thetranslucent sign plate, and also illumines the said rear plate. I

3. A combination tail light, sign plate and holder comprising a box having the front thereof hinged to the body portion, a sign plate mounted in the rear part of the body of the box, a translucent sign plate on.

which there is a copy of the legible matter of said first plate and which forms a partof mamas the front of the box spacedat some distance in front of said first sign plate, the space be tween said two sign plates being entirely free from obstruction, the body of the box having an extended portion, an illuminating means located in said extension, said front portion having also an extension corresponding with the extension of the body of the box, a translucent bulls eye mounted in said front extension whereby said illuminating means illuminates both the bulls eye and the translucent sign plate from the rear thereof, and also illumines the front of said rear sign plate without change of position, whereby it is visible both at night and by day when the front sign plate is removed.

M 4 A combination tail light, sign plate, and holder comprising a case having a sign plate in the rear part thereof, facing toward the front of the case, a front hinged to the upper front side of the body of the case and normally being turned down to close the front of the case, a translucent sign plate on which there is a copy of the legible matter of said rear plate and which forms apart of said hinged front of the case, the space between said translucent front and said rear sign plate being entirely unobstructed, so

that if the front sign plate is removed the rear sign plate will be fully exposed to view,

the lower part of the body of said case being formed with a downwardly extending portion which opens into the space in said body port-ion between said front and said rear sign plate, the said front portion being also formed with a downwardly extending portion directlyin front alinement with said downwardly extending portion ofthe body, a bulls eye mounted in said downwardly extending portion of the front, and a lamp mounted in said downwardly extending body portion, so arranged that the rays from said lamp illuminate the front of said rear sign plate and the rear of said front plate. 1

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

- ELMER E. POOLE. Witnesses:

WiLLIAM A. COPELAND, Amen H. MORRISON. 

